Why I hate anti-choicers.
Here's a couple of relatively interesting stories, which I will admit I thought were the same thing when I read one in the Metro today. I suggest you skip if you don't want to read about child rape, abortion, and the tactics used by anti-choicers. Also, it's ranty. Very ranty near the end.
The first deals with an 10 year old Romanian girl who was raped by her uncle. She didn't tell her parents until, on complaining of stomach pains, she was taken to the hospital, where she was discovered to be 17 weeks pregnant. Romanian law only allows abortions up to 14 weeks. Doctors refused to perform the termination on ground of this law but also because rape has not been proven. Of a 10 year old girl.
Now, the case has become a major deal in Romania, and pretty much everyone's torn on it. Church groups have campaigned to prevent her from having access to a termination, despite the fact that the Romanian Orthodox Church has given its tacit blessing:"It must be treated in an exceptional manner and the family is the only one to take this decision," said Church spokesman Constantin Stoica.(The Telegraph)
The Government is jumping through hoops, delaying a decision and the time at which the child can have a safe abortion.
The good news is a that a Romanian woman living in London has heard about the case, and offered to pay for the girl to come over here to have the procedure,as it's still 21 weeks now. Of course, the Romanian Government still has to decide if it will "let" her.
This is the good story. The child has the support of a lot of powerful people including politicians, the church in her home country, a woman offering transport over here, and she now has the attention of the UK press, which may offer political pressure to get the Government to do the Right Thing. I severely hope. The next is even more sickening, and I only heard about it through Feministe, because it apparently hasn't made the mainstream media.
[EDIT: she had been 'permitted' to have her abortion]
A 14-year old polish girl was raped at school, and is currently 12 weeks pregnant. Polish law allows terminations up to this week only, dependant on age (the girl is underaged) and rape (she was). When she went with her mother to have the procedure, the gynaecologist showed her, alone, into a room with a priest, and priest and doctor between them bullied her into consenting to carrying the pregnancy to term. Since then, "pro-life" groups have constantly kept the pressure on. The Polish health minister arranged for an abortion (I don't know if the girl actually had it or not), and was rewarded with the threat of excommunication.
There's more in the Feministe article: the whole thing is pretty sickening.
You see, this is why anti-choice proponents make me angry. It's not about life for these people, it's not about protecting a child; it's about forcing their views and choices on two little girls. The Polish doctor violated patient confidentiality laws by bringing in the priest. Their claim that rape hasn't been proved implies a 10 year old girl can consent to sex. They campaign to prolong the suffering of the girls and force them past the 'legal' date, and at the same time towards the more risky late-term procedures if that's even possible.
This. Is. Child Abuse.
And you know what? The fact that all these legal sanctions exist that add to the delaying of the procedure. The arguments. The required hoops. The demand that rape be 'proved' - to legally prove a rape takes months in court. The 'conscience appeal' loopholes that mean doctors can refuse to do their job if they're squeamish. The arbitrary 'not after this date' laws - all of these add to the torment of these girls. All of these share responsibility for every little girl forced to become a mother. And every time you say well, abortion should only be allowed if..., you are giving your own tacit blessing to these delaying and bullying tactics. To this abuse.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I'm pro-choice.
The first deals with an 10 year old Romanian girl who was raped by her uncle. She didn't tell her parents until, on complaining of stomach pains, she was taken to the hospital, where she was discovered to be 17 weeks pregnant. Romanian law only allows abortions up to 14 weeks. Doctors refused to perform the termination on ground of this law but also because rape has not been proven. Of a 10 year old girl.
Now, the case has become a major deal in Romania, and pretty much everyone's torn on it. Church groups have campaigned to prevent her from having access to a termination, despite the fact that the Romanian Orthodox Church has given its tacit blessing:"It must be treated in an exceptional manner and the family is the only one to take this decision," said Church spokesman Constantin Stoica.(The Telegraph)
The Government is jumping through hoops, delaying a decision and the time at which the child can have a safe abortion.
The good news is a that a Romanian woman living in London has heard about the case, and offered to pay for the girl to come over here to have the procedure,as it's still 21 weeks now. Of course, the Romanian Government still has to decide if it will "let" her.
This is the good story. The child has the support of a lot of powerful people including politicians, the church in her home country, a woman offering transport over here, and she now has the attention of the UK press, which may offer political pressure to get the Government to do the Right Thing. I severely hope. The next is even more sickening, and I only heard about it through Feministe, because it apparently hasn't made the mainstream media.
[EDIT: she had been 'permitted' to have her abortion]
A 14-year old polish girl was raped at school, and is currently 12 weeks pregnant. Polish law allows terminations up to this week only, dependant on age (the girl is underaged) and rape (she was). When she went with her mother to have the procedure, the gynaecologist showed her, alone, into a room with a priest, and priest and doctor between them bullied her into consenting to carrying the pregnancy to term. Since then, "pro-life" groups have constantly kept the pressure on. The Polish health minister arranged for an abortion (I don't know if the girl actually had it or not), and was rewarded with the threat of excommunication.
There's more in the Feministe article: the whole thing is pretty sickening.
You see, this is why anti-choice proponents make me angry. It's not about life for these people, it's not about protecting a child; it's about forcing their views and choices on two little girls. The Polish doctor violated patient confidentiality laws by bringing in the priest. Their claim that rape hasn't been proved implies a 10 year old girl can consent to sex. They campaign to prolong the suffering of the girls and force them past the 'legal' date, and at the same time towards the more risky late-term procedures if that's even possible.
This. Is. Child Abuse.
And you know what? The fact that all these legal sanctions exist that add to the delaying of the procedure. The arguments. The required hoops. The demand that rape be 'proved' - to legally prove a rape takes months in court. The 'conscience appeal' loopholes that mean doctors can refuse to do their job if they're squeamish. The arbitrary 'not after this date' laws - all of these add to the torment of these girls. All of these share responsibility for every little girl forced to become a mother. And every time you say well, abortion should only be allowed if..., you are giving your own tacit blessing to these delaying and bullying tactics. To this abuse.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I'm pro-choice.